Darcel McBath returns an interception caught from the Colts' Peyton Manning during the 2009 season.

It’s now official: The Broncos’ second round in the 2009 draft has to go down as the worst in franchise history.

Not one, not two, but three second-round picks flamed out. The latest, and last, was safety Darcel McBath, who was waived to make room for the signing of former Patriots nickelback Jonathan Whilhite.

McBath followed tight end Richard Quinn, who barely played and had one catch in two seasons before he was waived with an injury settlement in training camp, and cornerback Alphonso Smith, who was traded last year to Detroit for tight end Dan Gronkowski, who was cut.

Smith actually caught on with the Lions, starting 10 games and coming up with five interceptions. It was strange how Josh McDaniels gave up a future first-round pick to move up into the second round to get Smith, and then showed no patience with him. The worst of two worlds.

McBath showed promise as a rookie, intercepting a Peyton Manning pass, but then breaking his forearm in the same game. At the time he was leading the team in special teams tackles. But McBath got hurt a couple more times last year and could never stay healthy enough to reach his potential.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.